NASHVILLE – Well, that was a rough start.
The Titans let one slip away on Sunday in Chicago on a day when the defense was stout, but the offense and special teams let the team down.
I know a lot of you are upset, because this mailbag has been flooded with emails.
Let's dive in before we turn our attention to Week 2 vs the New York Jets.
Here's the link to submit questions: CLICK HERE
Gregg Stauffer from Matthews, North Carolina
Question: Jim, I can't wait to read the mailbag! As far as the game went, we got positives and some glaring issues. Listening to the radio and past game conversations everyone is piling on Will Levis. He made a really bad decision to chuck the ball up in the air as he was going down. That ought to be correctable. The fumble was a blind side hit. The only thing Will could have done was get the ball out quicker. I feel the 2 main reasons we lost. #1 the not so Special Team play. They were responsible for at least 10 points. If they had a normal error free day, Titans win. #2 the new and improved offensive line, had the QB being pressured about 46% of the time. Probably going to lose most games like that. My question is how come our highly paid and much hyped new receiving corps appeared to not show up? Was it the offensive play calling. Was it the Bears defense? Was the QB not getting the ball when he needed to. BTW, I did not get to see the game, had listen to it on the radio! If we are going to have a good season, got fix Special Teams and the O-Line has to be better. The QB has to protect the ball! The Defense was great! Thanks for all you do for us fans!
Jim: Hey Gregg. It's here. Will definitely had a tough day, but he wasn't the only reason the team lost. You're right – special teams also let the team down. As for the quiet day from the receiving corps, the play-calling, questions about the Bears defense, the o-line, we can't answer this after one game. And, as well as the Titans defense played, we need to see more from that group as well since they were going against a QB playing in his first NFL game. We'll get the real answers to these questions in time. The only thing we know for sure at this point is the Titans aren't going undefeated.
Kenneth Ospital from Alexandria, Virginia
Question: Is it too early to call for Levis to be benched? This team is loaded with talent - top to bottom. I think Rudolph, just being a steady hand, could take the Titans much further than Levis. Plus, I think the time as a backup might help Levis.
This might be the most talented Titans team I've ever seen take the field - minus the QB position. Agree or disagree?
I hate to see this talent-rich team have to overcome the rookie-like mistakes made by Levis. Please tell the kid to take the sack or throw the ball in the dirt. Live to fight another day.
Thanks for all you do Jim
Jim: Yes, it's still early. Will had a forgettable game, we all agree on that. Poor decisions, some missed throws. But keep in mind this was just his 10th career start, and his first in a new offense. I can't promise you how things are going to go from here, but calling for him to be benched after the season opener is premature.
Terry Anderson from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Question: Jim, hope you're doing well. We all knew that our team would go through ups and downs. We were bad last year. The special teams battalion needs to seriously look into the mirror and figure that stuff out. Poor Stonehouse will bust his knee again. We all knew or should have known that the kick return would be a wild card. Helped us once and hurt us also. Levis has a lot to improve on. Heck so do I. Proud of our coaching staff though. Special teams will be better because if they aren't, well they may need new Jobs. Jim that defensive coordinator we got is pretty good. Defense is still awesome. Vrabel had a good defense and so does Cally
Jim: Hey Terry. I was worried about Stoney, too. I had a flashback to last December. I'm glad he got up, and he's OK. There were definitely some positives from the game, mainly from the defense. It's just tough to feel good about it after blowing the game like the Titans did. The team had no business losing that game. It reminded me of the 2022 season opening loss to the Giants, who turned out to be pretty good that season. I'm not so sure the Bears will be very good – they weren't very impressive on Sunday, they just took advantage of mistakes by the Titans.
Walt Slaughter from Raleigh, North Carolina
Question: Hey Jim ............ I understand that rookie QB mistakes are unavoidable. But not all of them. Let's also not forget the Titans didn't field the rookie QB, the Bears did. I hear people really divided on Will Levis '"Franchise" potential. I personally like his upside. What's your informed take? Thanks so much!
Jim: My informed take is he's made progress, even if it didn't show on Sunday. He's also not a finished product, something I noticed throughout camp, when he threw eight interceptions. The biggest thing for Will is he has to avoid making the bad, costly, decisions. His head coach said he was surprised by some of his decision-making on Sunday, and I was, too. I'm also not going to bury him after one game.
Randy L from Yorktown, Virginia
Question: Hey Jim! Your ol' friend from VA here. I'm sure your mailbag is gonna be full today. I always feel like a 12-year-old kid when I watch my Titans! We all saw the game and I don't have any new takes and don't want to pile on. My take is that whether you're QB1 or LB1, if you don't perform, I'm confident Coach Callahan will make the necessary changes for the good of the football team. I feel good about this staff and like our direction...I think Coach would take some of the blame as well as the special teams. Kudos to the defense!
Jim: Good to hear from you, Randy. It's definitely overflowing.
Paul Gambini from Maryville, Tennessee
Question: I said at end of last season, If Levis is smart he can be a great QB… but he hasn't got a clue. Having biceps doesn't mean squat when you take unnecessary hits. Cmon Will. SMH. No coach can get through to him? I'm not even talking bout the two, idiotic flick passes while going down. Good luck Jim this week.
Jim: Appreciate it, Paul.
Clint Philips from Fletcher, North Carolina
Question: Levis = Tannehill 2.0. Callahan = Vrabel 2.1 New peeps same results.
Jim: It was one game, Clint.
David Buck from Germantown, Tennessee
Question: Same soup, different bowl.
Jim: Again, it's one game, David.
Anthony Pasillas from Reedley, California
Question: This game is a preview of a Vrabel team.
Need more Deandre Hopkins involved. Everything looked good on paper, but in reality Embarrassment!!
Jim: I don't get all the Vrabel comparisons already … Hopkins will be more involved. The plan was for him to play a limited number of snaps, which he did. The NFL stat book had him with 17 snaps. He'll be more involved as he continues to get healthy.
LJ Dixon from Bowling Green, Kentucky
Question: What can the titans do to recover from this 2nd half of the game? Is Levis really the future of our franchise?
Jim: Play a complete game this Sunday, and win. … Time will tell.
Doug Goldstein from Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: Jim. As a 25 year fan, I honestly believe this is the absolute biggest tank job in the history of this team, and I've witnessed MANY.
Levis doesn't seem to be the guy. Let's get Rudolph in there sooner than later, maybe he can hit a wide open receiver.
I would encourage the league to investigate if Levis is involved in some kind of point shaving scheme, those sidearm underhanded tosses under duress seem a bit sketchy to me. Or maybe it's just the Vegas in me.
Jim: I wouldn't bet on that, Doug …
Kel Lang from New Albany, Indiana
Question: Hey Jim, I've had a few hours to lament the loss. Up 17-0 with 1 min left in the first half, only to score no more points through the remainder of the game and lose 17-24.
Those are facts...but I have a lot of questions. With the $$ we paid for the receiving corps we have, why isn't the team passing more? Im paraphrasing, but i thought the new coach had said the titans are going to pass more and the games would be more "entertaining." This game was anything but entertaining.
I'm just curious, with the wide receiver room we have, Hopkins, Ridley, Boyd, Westbrook, burks, etc...why did we not see more of a passing attack?
Levis got away with one flip of the ball when he was almost sacked...the 2nd one turned into a pick 6. Facts. This is a new head coach, OC, DC, etc...it was the first game, and I'm sure they will all make adjustments.
With Caleb Williams being a rookie QB, and we allow 24 unanswered points in the 2nd half...what should we expect when we meet the most veteran QB in the league next week?
Thanks for what you do, Jim!
Jim: Hey Kel. The Titans want to find a run/pass mix. Part of the reason the team didn't throw it as much in the second half, I think, is because they felt like they'd win the game as long as they didn't make mistakes throwing it. As we all know, they made mistakes throwing it. But I've said this in here several times, we can't judge this team – or the offense – after one game. As for what to expect from Rodgers, I think we've all seen his body of work.
Joe Tanaka from Aiea, Hawaii
Question: Jim, Bears offense had no offensive touchdowns and we were up by 17 going into the half. To be honest Will Levis lost this game. Bad decision-making, hanging on to the ball too long, and not good in the clutch. If this keeps up I don't see a playoff quarterback here. We may want to give Rudolph a shot if this keeps up. Just my opinion.
Jim: Mahalo, Joe.
Rob Haye from Ontario, Canada
Question: Hey Jim, going to be a long season of mixed review comments in the mailbag after that showing. What a tail of 2 halves, seemed like watching a rerun from last year.
Reminds me of Clint Eastwood movie the Good the bad and the ugly.
Good-looks like we have a defense that will be able to produce this year
Bad-special teams, that blocked punt changed the entire dynamic of that game, and Stonehouse must have been thinking here we go again.
Ugly-do we have a quarterback issue already? Levis, may think he has the body and arm, but does he have the smarts to be a NFL starting QB ?
Rudolph starter by week 3-4? stay tuned...
Jim: This mailbag reminds me of a few more Clint Eastwood movies: 'In the Line of Fire' and 'Unforgiven', definitely not 'A Perfect World.'
Tim Wynn from Kodak, Tennessee
Question: Hi Jim, just some comments. I saw a lot of good things I liked from the team in yesterday's game. They had Chicago on the ropes. If this had been the tenth game of the season instead of the first, I believe they would have won. They just need time to gel and get used to one another. Better days are coming.
Jim: Good to hear from you, Tim.
Jeremy Strickland from Covington, Tennessee
Question: Well, we have a new coaching staff and a lot of new players and we somehow have picked up right where we left off. I know it's only one game but still very frustrating to watch. Hopefully things turn around quickly.
Jim: I hear ya, Jeremy.
Sergio Escobar from El Paso, Texas
Question: Hello Jim. Thanks again for all the info you give us regarding our team. Man what a disappointment on that first game. All the talk about Levis and how good he was in pre season just took a total dump. Seems like old times, play good in the first half and totally break down in the second. Blowing a 17-0 lead with the way the defense played must make the defensive guys pretty upset. The Bears special teams won the game. Also seems like we kept the playbook from the past couple of years where we keep trying to run the ball up the middle with no success. Still hoping Levis learns how to slide and not try to make horrible decisions.
Jim: Need to bounce back this Sunday, Sergio.
Joan Dutton from Cerritos, California
Question: Hi Jim. Not a good start to the season! I wonder how smart it was to let Ryan Tannehill walk? I know he hasn't signed with another team because he is looking for the right situation. Levis gave this game away!! The defense did a great job! The offense lost this game. We hit to get it together. I guess time will tell how smart some upper management decisions were at the end of last season. I truly hope things turnaround soooooooon! Go Titans!
Jim: Ryan Tannehill is gone and he's not coming back, Joan.
Alberto Armando Tellez Salcedo from Durango, Mexico
Question: Buenas noches Jim saludos desde Durango Mexico, estamos enojados, frustrados, tristes y angustiados por la actuacion de Will Levis, es muy temprano para pronosticar si es o no es el Mariscal franquicia, hay que darle oportunidad de que muestre efectividad en los siguientes partidos.
Pasando a lo positivo, que gran actuacion de la defensiva pues lograron minimizar el juego de Caleb Williams, Swift, Odunze, Allen, Moore, Kmet, Everett, etc tremendo partido de todos los defensivos.
Tienen que mejorar los equipos especiales y algo muy importante, el equipo sigue bajando su funcionamiento en la segunda mitad al igual que en los ultimas dos temporadas, y es ahi en dónde se pierden los partidos pues no son capaces de cambiar el llamado de jugadas. (Se les agotan las ideas)
Jim: Hola alberto. Tienes razón, es demasiado pronto para predecir qué pasará con Will. Lo que vimos el domingo fue preocupante, pero no es garantía de lo que sucederá a continuación, al igual que su juego de cuatro TD contra los Falcons no garantizó nada en el futuro. Creo que trabajará duro para mejorar. La defensa estuvo genial, los equipos especiales no muy buenos. Que tengas una buena semana.
Steve Boxwell from Corpus Christi, Texas
Question: Long time Titan Fan.
Notice in the Bears game we had blocked punt for touchdown. This happened last year and our punter got hurt and was gone the rest of the season Seems we need better protection so this never happens. Also Levis should have just
Taken the Sack punted the ball away throwing that pass was terrible he should have known better. At least this is the beginning of the season. We definitely let this one get away. Two mistake created loss. Thank you for keeping us informed. Go Titans
Jim: Appreciate it, Steve.
Jason Knight from Cleveland, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim. I know this is gonna be a rough week for you looks like. Man, I hate to say it, looks like the same old titans get a lead find a way to blow it. I mean new coach, new players same results. the bears didn't score an offensive touchdown and won the game are you kidding me. The defense played good. Anymore plays like that from Levis id put mason in. The offensive line could not pass block, if it was a boat it would sink it had so many holes in it. Man I tell you Jim you are the best part about the Titans, I bet a lot of fans are fans because of you. I hope there is an improvement I really want to pull for them but it's sickening sometimes.
Jim: Appreciate the kind words, Jason. I do the very best I can.
Jeremy Rodriguez from Winchester, California
Question: Wow Jim! Talk about a tale of two halves. Levis never seemed comfortable. Even at 17-0, he seemed to want to be everything for everyone. He never got into a rhythm, he never got settled and he never played team ball. I hope Callahan can settle him down. We saw the flashes last year, just need the kid to realize there 10 others who want him to succeed, because his ceiling is the Titans ceiling. Have a great week Jim, on to the Jets. As always TITAN UP!
Jim: Sorry to ruin your cookout, Jeremy.
Greg D from Franklin, Tennessee
Question: I am sure there will be a lot of negativity this week so I will focus on the good stuff. That D! Wow! Exactly what I was hoping for. The offense had a few good things happening in the first half. Now we just need to carry that throughout the entire game. TITAN UP!!
Jim: Thanks for chiming in, Greg D.
Chris Berry from Cleveland, Tennessee
Question: Wow…. For such a different staff and roster it felt so much like the Titans from the past 2 years. Defense only gives 10 points, but we still lose. The pick-six by Levis was brutal. However, can we just go ahead and put the special teams coordinator on the hot seat? Special teams was terrible. Bad kick coverage. Bad kick returns. Punt block returned for TD. I hope Radunz is okay, because it is very early to start losing pieces on the o-line. Any news there?
Jim: Radunz has a bruised rib, but is OK. He's expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday.
Dick Clodfelter from Bell Buckle, Tennessee
Question: Hi Jim. Really appreciate what you do for us fans. Bad loss Sunday, should have been a win. Lessons to be learned this week that will hopefully improve the results of future games.
No question here, just a comment. The Titans are a TEAM, so Titans players' helmets should not display an individual player's personal message, but each helmet should read the same, just TITANS. Team up. TITAN UP.
Jim: Thanks for taking the time.
Bill Holmes from Fairport, New York
Question: Really tough to lose a game like that. Our offense was no great shakes, but Chicago has a good D. On the other hand, our defense was even better than expected and should have cemented the win. The usual bugaboos - bad 3rd down percentage, avoidable turnovers - and an anomaly (blocked punt) cost us the game. What was most disheartening to me was having the early lead (up 17!) and then getting blanked while the Bears just chipped away and eventually won.
I expected better, but there were a lot of positive elements to build upon. I can't even blame QB1 for his fumble. But that shovel pass as he was being sacked? Ugh...I thought Levis was smarter than that.
Jim: Can't do that again, Bill, that's for sure.
Chuck Rhoten from Kingsport, Tennessee
Question: Thanks Jim for keeping us informed. Game just ended, disappointing loss. Defense played a great game, they did their part to win the game. Special teams did not look good, offensive line did not perform well either. Levis made too many mistakes. I know it was game one but I expected more. The right side of the OL mainly RT played poorly. What do you think they need to do to improve?
Jim: QB decision-making, special teams play, ability to hold on to a lead come to mind.
Matt Montanaro from Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Question: Good day Jim and welcome back for a new season. Looking forward to your weekly take on the Titans.
Week one loss hurt. Sometimes it feels so difficult to be a Titan fan. The off season provided so much promise. I know it is only one game but you have to scratch your head on this one. Will Levis did not look very good at all when the pressure mounted. He made some real questionable decisions, especially the short pass that resulted in the pick 6. I know the Bears have a solid Defense but they were gifted this game by Levis and the Titans. I truly hope that we can right the ship and build on a real positive off season.
Jim: Good to hear from you, Matt. It was a brutal loss, but still 16 games to go…
Have a great week everyone!
